Lock for automobiles.



R. F. MUDD.'

LOCK FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION F ILED SEPT. 19, I914.

1, 1%,987 Patnted Feb; 8, 1916.

R. F. MUD'D.

LOOK FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1914.

1,1709987. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

BAYMQND F. l' /IUDD. GTE CHICAGG, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNDB OE ONE-ILQLF TO JOSEPH A EJ117131), (3F CHICAGO, 'ILLINOIS.

LGCK FOB AUTQMOBZLES Specification of Letters Eatent.

Fateiited res. e, iaic.

To all ii /1.0m may concern Be it known that I, RAYMOND F. Mono, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvement in Locks forAutoinobiles, of which the following is a specification.

lvly invention relates to locking-means for automobiles, and more particularly to a. form of lock adapted for application to the steering-gear.

The object of my invention is to provide a steering-gear lock which may be readily applied to existing forms of steering-gear in such a lnanneras to be proof against removal when in the locked position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description of a preferred en1bodi ment of the same. In this description reference will be had to the accompanying drawinns, in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional elevation of steering-wheel. and a portion of the steerl. c'woluinn of an automobile, my locking"- nn ins being shown in position thereon; Fig. 2 is a detail plan View of the lookingineans proper shown substantially as on the line of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a lower plan view oi the locking-means substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig". l is a detail view of that portion of the lock attached to the rim of the steering-wheel. one of the plates being partly broken away; Fig. 5 is a detail view of the upper end of the locking-arm; Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view. taken on the line (3 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a face view of the steering-column clamp. taken substantially on the line 7 of Fig; 8, and S is a cross-sectional View to the locking-arm and clamp taken on the line 8 of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1. there is shown a steering-column 10 of a well-known form. carrying at its upper end the steeringwheel, generally designated by 11 and comprising a spider 12 which actuates the steeringshaft 13 and a. rim-portion-M tastened to the arms of the spider as by screws The engine control-means which conipriscs the usual quadrants and levers is mounted on eeringi' oluinn directly beneath whl and indicated. generally, h ll).

in applying my invention to steeringgear of this well-known type, I. provide clamp-sections17 and 18 (see Fig. 8), so formed as to bear upon and embrace the outer face of the elliptical steering-column 10 and to be clamped thereto, as by screws 19, the heads of which are countersunk in the outer face of the clamp-section 18. The lower end of this clamp-section has formed integrally therewith the lugs or knuckles 20, and hinged to these knuckles. as by a pintle 21. is a locking-arm 22. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that this arm is angular in form, the hinged lower end 23 thereof being bent so as to lie flush with the face of the clamp-section 18 when the arni proper is 'in the position shown in Fig. 1. It will be apparent that in this position of the parts the heads of the screws 19, by which the clamp-sections 17v and 18 are se cured to the column, are completely masked by the end of the arin so that it is impossible to loosen or remove the clamp when the arm is in the position shown in Fig. 1.

The upper end of the locking-arm is rabbeted out as shown at 2% in Fig. 5 to -form an arcuate lip which lies over and bears against a lip 26 formed integrally with the steering-wheel clamp-section 27. This section forms half of a steering-wheel clamp, indicated. generally, by 28. The conjugateineniber 529 of the clamp is lapjointed to form an interlock. as shown at 30,

in Figs. 1 and ('3, to lock secure to this section 2' Z.- The. inside edge of the cla1np-sec-.

tion 29'i's slotted, as a 30. to straddle the spider-arm 31. this edge being provided with a lip 32 with which the upper face of the locking-arm 22 engages. The clampsections 27 and it are secured in place on the rim of the steering-wheel with lookingscrews 33, and the lips 2f and 32 are spaced apart by lugs 34rlorined on the inner face of the lip 32 adjacent its ends, as shown in Fig. 1. The locking-screws 33 are countersunk similarly to the screws 19. and in the position of the arm shown in Fig. 1 these screws are completely masked by the lip 25 ot' the locking-arm. The steering-rim clampanember, as well as the colunni-cla1npinember. is. therefore. completely secured against being loosened or delai-hed. so long as the locking-arm '22 is in the operative position shownin Fig. 1. To nnzintain the locking-arm in look 35, shown as of rectangular form and this position. i provide a- Thus it will be clear from be noted. that the lugs in a lug 38 on the clamp-section 27 and being Within the slotted end of the clampsection 29. The lock will preferably be riveted inplace in the recess of the arm as by the rivets 39, so as to be secured against removal by any ordinary means.

From Fig.- 1 it will further be noted that the clamp-section 27 is recessed, as at 40, to receive the extremity 41 of the spider-arm 31,. and this rccessed-portion of the clamp section 27 masks the head of the screw 15 by which a spider-arm is secured to the rim.

of the steering-wheel. The key aperture of the lock 35 will preferably be oli'set from the center of the lock so that a key may be inserted from the top Without interference by the spider'arm 31.

As an additional security, and to relieve, in so far possible, the hinge pintle ill and the lock-bolt 2? from any strains which they might receive, if it were attempted to break the locking-means by rotating the steering-wheel, I provide the locking-arm 22 with two sets of inclined lugs, the lower set comprising the, bachwardly-hooked rectangular lugs 43 which enter apertures in the outer face of the clamp-section 18 (see Fig. 8), and tie upper set comprising the backWardly-hoolccd rectangular lugs ll) formed on the inner face of the" lip 25 and engaging apertures 46 in the. lip :26 of the rim clamp-section 27 (see 6). It will will; carry all strains which would be imposed upon the lock-bolt 37 by an attempt to turn the steering-wheel, while the lower lugs 43 protect the hinge pintlc from the same strains. and, in addition, will. act to retain the lower end 23 of the locking-arm in position, even though the hinge pintle driven out, 1 that, so long as the upper end oi tl. locking-arm remains secured to the rim or the steering;- whcel. it will be llllllOSnll'llCt to pry or otherwise force out the lower and oil the locking;- arm without breaking the lugs 43. Cine provision of these two of lugs an important feature of my invention, inasmuch as .it would be dil it to pupil-file a hinge or a lockin -bolt which would be strong enough to resist the enormous strains which would be set up by a strong poll on the rim of the stceringovheel. By my construction the loch-bolt 37 can be broken only by a. direct downward push upon the locking-arm 22 while the hinge pintle Bl cannot be stressed, except by prying the lower end of the locking-arm directly outwa d.

In the unlocked position of parts, the

arm 22 will be swung downwardly on its so that the same may be applied by any person of ordinary intelligence ,and without any tools excepting a screw-driver. It will further be secnthat in the locked posi tion of the parts the securing-screws of all parts are completely masked, so that it is in'ipossible to detach the locking-device by any other means than by breaking some portion thereof. The steering-wheel rim-clamp 28 may be applied at any part of the periphery-of the steering-Wheel, but I preferably so locate this clamp that it will register with the locking-arm only when the steering wheels of the automobile have been canted to an acute angle. This renders the locking-means much more efficient in that it is wholly impossible to move the car except in a circle. if desired, however, the clamp 28 may be applied in such. position as to permit the wheels to be locked in the straightforward relation, this being entirely at the option ofthe person who attaches the lock. While I have shown and described in con siderable detail a form of locking-means adapted for application to a particular lypc of steering-wheel, it is to be understoml that such shmving and description is illustrative only, and that while the preferred embodiment-of the invention illustrated includes many structural advantages. I do not regard my invention as limited to these particular constructions, except in so far as such limitations are included within the terms ol the appended claims, in which it is my intention to cover all the patcutable i'lovelty inherent in my invention in View of the prior art.

What 1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. lo a. device of the class described, a clamp adapted to be secured to a steeringcolumn, an arm hinged to the clamp at one end, a two-piece clamp adapted to embrace the rim oi a steering-wheel and to straddle a spider arm of the same, and means for locking the free end of said hinged arm to said steering-Wheel clamp.

la a device of the class described, a clamp adapted. to be secured to a steeringcolumn, an arm hinged to the clamp at one end, a lockingbolt mounted in the free end of the arm, means for advancing and retracting the bolt, and a two-piece clamp .adapted to embrace the rim of a steering- "wheel and to straddle a spider arm thereof, said clamp having arecess to receive the locking-bolt.

3. In a device of the class described, a clamp adapted to embrace a steering-column, detachable fastening means to secure said clamp in a fixed position on the column, an arm hinged at one end to the clamp, a two-piece clamp adapted to embrace the rim of a steering wheel, detachable fastening .means for securing said clamp to said rim,

and means for locking the free end of said arm to said steering wheel, said arm masking both of said fastening means when in the locked position.

a. In a device of the class described, a clamp-section adapted to embrace one side of a steering-column, a conjugate clam section adapted to embrace the opposite side of the column, securing-screws seating in the outer face of said second clamp-section and engaging said first clamp-section, an arm hinged to the lower edge of said second clamp-section and adapted to swing upwardly to lie over the face thereof and mask the said screws, and means for locking the free end of said arm to a steering-wheel.

In a device of the class described, a clamp-section adapted to embrace one side of'a steering-column, a conjugate clampsect-ion adapted to embrace the opposite side of the column, securing-screws seating in the outer face of said second clamp-section and engaging said first clamp-section, an angular arm hinged to the lower edge of said second clamp-section and adapted'to swing upwardly to lie over the face thereof and mask the said screws, a clamp-section adapted to embrace one side of the rim of a steering-wheel, a conjugate cl amp-section adapted to embrace the opposite side of the rim, securing-screws seated in the outer face of said second clamp-section and engaging said first clamp-section, a locking-bolt mounted in the free end of said arm and adapted to engage a recess formed in said. rim clamp section, and a lip formed on the free end of said arm and adapted to overlie and mask the securing-screws of said rim clamp-sections when the parts are in the locked position.

6. In a device of the class described, a clamp adapted to be s cured to a steeringcolumn, an angular arm hinged at one end to the lower edge of said clamp, backwardlyhooked lugs carried by the inner face of said arm and adapted to enter recesses in the outer face of said clamp, and means carried by the outer end of said arm to lock the same toa steering-Wheel, whereby in the locked position-of the parts said lugs are maintained in engagement with said recesses.

7. In a device of the class described, a clamp' adapted to embrace a steering-column, an arm hinged to the clamp at one end, a clamp-section adapted to embrace the rim of a steering-wheel, said clamp-section being slotted to straddle a spider-arm of the wheel, a lock mounted in the free end of said arm, and a locking-bolt, said lock including a bolt-member adapted to enter a recess in said steering-wheel clamp-section.

8.111 a device of the class described, a clamp adapted to be secured to a steeringcolumn, an arm hinged to the clamp at one end, a clamp adapted to be secured to the rim of a steering-wheel, means for locking the free end of said hinged arm to said steering-wheel clamp, lugs carried by said arm and engaging recesses in said steering-column clamp in the locked position of the parts, and lugs carried by said arm and adapted to engage said steering-wheel clamp in the locked position of the parts, substantially as and for the purposes described.

RAYMOND F. MUI')D.

1n presence ofv A. U. Flsomcu,

N. B. DEARBURN. 

